The Biotech Advantage June 12, 2002
A new report by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) has found that consumers who ate foods made with genetically modified
ingredients were not at a higher risk of allergies or toxic reactions than those eating conventional foods.
The study said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has adequately tested the safety of these new types of food.
The GAO did recommend that the FDA validate the safety of food data more quickly. The FDA agreed with the study's recommendations,
but said it should not be forced to check on a regular basis since the risk of criminal penalties for submitting false data was a significant
deterrent.
"USA: Biotech Foods No Riskier Than Other Foods—GAO Study," Reuters